Saturday, October 29, 2011

HALLOWEEN SCARE TACTICS: TJ Cowgill.

Yeah. How's that for terrifying?

TJ Cowgill, of Book of Black Earth and KING DUDE fame, came in recently, and brought the whole fucking family. That's right. Emily, Pagan, and King TJ at Cairo together. Hanging out with me. What a great day.

This dude is no joke...although all we talked about was channeling his inner Christian Slater... and the origins of the term 'gnarlitude'.TJ is conquering the world as co-owner/creater of clothing brand ACTUAL PAIN with Emily, who live in their warehouse/castle (tattoos occasionally available!) on the hill.

TJ, you are the truly kingliest dude.

Here are some photos from the day, but check out our Tumblr to see all of them!"Meanest Danny Zuko"

The interview...Which do you prefer, performing a metal set or an acoustic?I like both equally, for different reasons. The thing I like about acoustic sets? I don't have to lift a thousand pounds of gear, TWICE. The thing about metal? They are loud enough that you can't talk over me.

Where did you grow up and how did those surroundings affect your music/art? I was born in Kennewick, WA, but when my parents got divorced we moved to Georgetown. I got beat up by black girls every day. There was one other white kid but he was fucked up, so my friends were culturally diverse. We were poor and moved like every six months. I started playing shitty pop-punk music when I was 15, like The Fallouts and Mudhoney, to get chicks. I realized that music sucked, so I quit playing it and started playing heavy metal.

You are a man of many trades, what do you say you do when people ask? I say I own a clothing company. The stupidest thing you could say is "I'm a fashion designer". I'm a graphic designer and I use the medium of clothing. I don't say I'm a musician, because that is a hobby.

I like the combed-back look, by the way. How would you describe personal your style these days? A slightly less ugly/disgusting Roy Orbison. OR, Roy Oribson as a vampire. Man, he looks like a child's nightmare.

How do you think Actual Pain's style aesthetic works with Seattle fashion?Well we aim to change the entire world's taste in graphic tees. Our target audience isn't Seattle. It's a great place to live, and we have a lot of support but there isn't any influence in Seattle. It's something we would be doing with or or without Seattle. It's our home, and it's so supportive. Why not stay in your city? I think if people didn't move to NY and LA, they wouldn't be so shitty. I mean, sometimes I feel like a big fish in a small pond… but thats fucking awesome!

Do you have a motto? Yes. "Love is the law, love under will" by Aleister Crowley. I believe love is the most important thing, but your will is more important that love.

In retrospect, what has been your favorite career path so far? Probably making clothes. What I really want to do is get King Dude songs in TV shows, like Breaking Bad and Dexter. That would be a cool way to make money. King Dude is weirdo music, you know? It has to be fun, or I wont do it.

What is the best Halloween costume you've had?I suck at halloween, I am not very clever really.

What is one natural talent you wish you had? Oh, man. Probably to be photogenic. I always look like I'm in pain, or like I'm sick, or like I have to take a shit.

Who kills the undead better? Bruce Campbell or Sarah Michelle Gellar? That's a tough one. I met Bruce Campbell when I was 10. He signed an Army of Darkness poster. My mom somehow fell off the 6 foot stage and he helped! AND he was dressed like a cowboy. It was fucking awesome. At the time I was so pissed…she totally stole my moment. I'll have to go with Bruce Campbell. I haven't met SMG… YET. But we love Buffy. We watch the shit out of that shit.

What are you listening to right now? Ela Orleans, from New York. Also Angel Olsen…she sounds like she's 50, but she's actually really young. And a lot of Umberto.

What are you listening to in Seattle?I love White Coward and Stickers. I really like Tit Pig, too.

Are you a downloader OR record store shopper OR merch buyer?I'm all three actually. I do all three pretty obsessively. i don't buy cds at all anymore.

Biggest personal fashion inspirations? roy orison or johnny cash. all black all well all the time. i know its corny but i like it.

If you had to choose 5 things with you to take to a different planet, what would they be? A bag of cheeseburgers from Dick's, a lot morphine, some kind of gun, some beers, and cigarettes. That's what I would want.

What is your spookiest halloween memory?There's this haunted house in Georgetown where I grew up and as a kid my Mom would tell us stories about how there was a choking ghost that lived there. Well, one year on Halloween, we went and trick or treated there. A guy that basically looked like an adult version of myself answered the door in a tuxedo and had white sort of gaunt face paint on. He didn't say a word, just opened the door and and gave us candy, and then shut the door. That was pretty spooky.

What other place would you want to live and why?I want to live in Germany. I don't know why, but think I'm going end up moving.

What was the #1 King Dude international tour highlight?I really loved playing Prague, and Italy was beautiful. Overall the hospitality was amazing. We are definitely going back.

What is the best part about your job? That I don't have a boss, but that is also the worst part, because when something is fucked up, its usually my fault. There's no one i can blame it on…except Emily, but she never makes mistakes.

What would you do if you had a hamburger for a hand? I would definitely eat it. No questions asked. I would eat it right away, too so it wouldn't go bad.

KING DUDE IS PLAYING HTFC TONIGHT, SATURDAY 10/29! He will be covering The Kinks and Nico. It would be in your best interest to be there.

DO YOU LIVE IN CALIFORNIA AND ARE PINING TO SEE KING DUDE?!Check out these west coast dates:November 30th at Elbo Room in SFDecember 2nd at Vacation Vinyl in LADecember 4th at Tin Can in SD

I wish all of you the happiest of Halloweens. See you at Healthy Times!